Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Royal Hunt
Label: Frontiers Records
Release: 2012
Running time: 170:55 (3CD)
Rating: 4.5/5
Danish symphonic hard rockers Royal Hunt have gone properly epic for their twentieth anniversary. Back in mid-2012, Scarlet Records put out a compilation of Royal Hunt’s best and most recognizable work, pulled from the band’s first five studio albums, called »Heart Of The City (Best of 1992 – 1999)«. If that compilation wraps up the first decade of the band, meaning their first five studio albums, then Frontiers Records, the label Royal Hunt currently call home, have set up the celebration of the band’s twentieth birthday on a much grander scale.
Even »Heart Of The City (Best of 1992 – 1999« was a more than welcome investment for anyone curious about the band who can’t get their hands on the albums, especially the early ones, since Royal Hunt only got decent distribution in Europe with the album »Paradox« (1997). In short, the early albums are a real rarity in the shops. This release is a lot more extensive, but it doesn’t cover exactly the same songs as the Scarlet Records compilation (diehard Royal Hunt fans will have to buy both), though if you had to pick one of the two compilations, »20th Anniversary« is definitely the first choice.
Three CDs and a DVD! A well-stocked musical sandwich! The first CD runs through the best moments of the band’s first decade, meaning the ones ending with the fourth album »Paradox«, which is also the most successful album in the band’s story. The second disc picks up with the remaining seven and rounds off the selection with songs from the band’s latest studio album, »Show Me How To Live« (2011). For the pickiest and most devoted fans, the third disc will surely be the most interesting, with tracks from limited releases meant only for the Japanese or European market (see the track list for more details), and above all a new song, Save Me, plus three reworked, this time acoustic, versions of One By One, Bodyguard and Restless. And to top it all off, there’s a DVD with all the promo videos released over Royal Hunt’s career.
It’s a welcome and frankly essential gesture from the band. First of all, because their albums that didn’t come out on Frontiers Records are extremely rare to run into in a shop these days, and at the same time this compilation neatly sums up Royal Hunt’s artistic growth and maturing over the years. The songs are laid out chronologically from the oldest to the newest Royal Hunt album, and it’s really interesting to compare how the arrangements get richer with each new studio release. These albums have always looked for strong support in blending orchestra with hard rock approaches, which is also confirmed by Andre Andersen’s personal devotion to keyboardists like Jon Lord and Rick Wakeman, both key figures in the pioneering of bringing rock music into classical works.
This kind of compilation is a great entry point for a journey into the unique world of this excellent Danish band, who are especially cherished and respected among fans of the melodic approach in hard rock circles. Those of you who own all the Royal Hunt albums won’t even miss the compilation, though, since a single new song just isn’t enough to justify shelling out 20 euros for what is mostly a redundant purchase.
Line-up
D. C. Cooper – vocals
André Andersen – keyboards, guitar
Jonas Larsen – guitar
Andreas Passmark – bass guitar
Allan Sørensen – drums
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Kenny Lubcke – vocals, backing vocals
Alexandra Popova – vocals, backing vocals
Maria McTurk – backing vocals
Lisa Hansen – backing vocals
FORMER MEMBERS:
Henrik Brockmann – vocals (1990-1994)
Mark Boals – vocals (2007-2011)
John West – vocals (1999-2007)
Kenneth Olsen – drums (1989-1996; 2004-2007)
Jacob Kjaer – guitar (1992-2003)
Marcus Jidell – guitar (2004-2011)
Steen Mogensen – bass guitar (1989-2003)
Per Schelander – bass guitar (2005-2009)
Allan Tschicaja – drums (Eyewitness album) and touring (2002-2003)
Production
André Andersen
Track list
CD 1
1. Flight (4:00)
2. Kingdom Dark (4:29)
3. Stranded (4:41)
4. Clown In The Mirror (4:36)
5. Wasted Time (4:36)
6. Epilogue (6:01)
7. Time (4:56)
8. Far Away (4:59)
9. 1348 (4:33)
10. River Of Pain (7:15)
11. Tearing Down The World (5:32)
12. Message To God (6:42)
CD 2
1. Cold City Lights (5:24)
2. Follow Me (6:22)
3. Surrender (Live version) (5:15)
4. The Mission (Live version) (5:36)
5. Can’t Let Go (Live version) (4:41)
6. Paper Blood (5:08)
7. Season’s Change (4:55)
8. The First Rock (4:47)
9. Tears Of The Sun (6:00)
10. The Well (4:52)
11. Shadowman (5:36)
12. Hard Rain’s Coming (5:15)
13. Half Past Loneliness (5:39)
CD 3
1. Save Me (New song) (3:48)
2. One By One (New recording, acoustic version) (4:42)
3. Bodyguard (New recording, acoustic version) (4:06)
4. Restless (New recording, acoustic version) (3:19)
5. Bad Luck (From “The Maxi EP”) (3:15)
6. Double Conversion (From “Far Away EP”) (4:18)
7. U-Turn (From “Intervention EP”) (7:25)
8. Sixth Sense (European bonus track for “X”) (4:24)
9. Day Is Dawning (Japanese bonus track for “Eyewitness”) (3:45)
DVD (1993 – 1997)
1. Land Of Broken Hearts (Video clip)
2. Day In Day Out (Video clip)
3. Clown In The Mirror (Acoustic)
4. Far Away (Acoustic)
5. Last Goodbye (Video clip)
6. Stay Down (Video clip)
7. River Of Pain (Video clip)
8. Tearing Down The World (Video clip)
9. Martial Arts (Video clip)
10. Third Stage (Live)
11. Wasted Time (Live)
12. Message To God (video clip)
